MEMS devices generally range in size from about 20 micrometers to about 1 millimeter and are made up of a number of even smaller components which can be formed in layers on a substrate using various MEMS processing techniques (e.g. deposition processes, patterning, lithography, etching, etc.). MEMS devices can be processed for many different applications, for example, they may be sensors or actuators. One such type of MEMS sensor is a laser microphone. A MEMS laser, or optical, microphone refers to a microphone which uses a laser beam to detect sound vibrations of an associated diaphragm. The microphone may include two essentially flat, horizontally arranged, surfaces. One of the surfaces may be a diaphragm, which can vibrate in response to sound waves, and the other surface may be a substantially stiff structure having a grating. A light emitter and a light detector may be associated with a substrate positioned below the flat surfaces. The light emitter may be a laser (e.g. a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL)) configured to direct a light beam toward a reflective portion of the diaphragm. The light beam is diffracted by the grating and reflected off of the reflective portion back to the light detector. The light detector detects the interference pattern created by the diffracted light rays and converts the light into an electrical signal, which corresponds to an acoustic vibration of the diaphragm, which in turn provides an indication of sound.